Improvement in harvester-droppers



T". w. S.-KIDD.'

D Harvester Dropper. No. 110,246. Patented Dec. 20. 1870.

N PEYERS, Phulo-U\bognpl\er. Washington 0. c.

g per and its operating devices.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS WV. S. KIDD, OF SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS.

llVl PROVEMENT IN HARVESTER-DROPPERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 110,246, dated December20, 1870.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS \V. S. KIDD, of Springfield, in the county ofSangamon, and in the State of Illinois, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Side Drops for Delivering the Grain fromReaping-Machines; and do hereby declare that the following isafull,clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to theaccompanying drawing, making a part of this specification, in whichFigure 1 is a plan view of the upper side of my device. Fig. 2 is a sideelevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of the drop- Fig. 4 isa plan view of the lower side of the dropper, and Fig. 5 is a horizontalcross-section of the axial bar and its guide.

Letters of like name and kind refer to like parts in each of thefigures.

The object of my invention is to remove grain from the rear of thecutting apparatus to one side of a reaper as rapidly as cut; and itprincipally consists in the means employed for giving to the dropper avertical and semirotary movement, substantially as is hereinafterspecified.

It also consists in the means employed for tilting the dropper to therear, substantially as is hereinafter shown and described.

In the annexed drawing, A represents the platform or foot-board of areaper; B, the support for the cutter-bar, and O the shoe, the latter ofwhich is extended rearward in a line with the draft, and furnishes asupport for one end each of a series of slats,D,placed parallel with andequidistant from each other, and extending inward in a line with and inrear of the cutter-bar. E represents a dropper, consisting of a seriesof parallel bars, 0, secured, at equidistant points, to or upon the head8, the latter of which is attached at one end to a round shaft or bar,F, said shaft being placed perpendicular to the plane of the dropper.

The shaft F is jonrnaled within a bearing, Gr, secured to the platformA, and also within a sleeve, H, provided with two'win gs, k, that fitinto corresponding grooves 6, formed within a vertical guide, I,attached to said platform, by means of which said sleeve is confined inposition horizontally, while allowed free vertical movement from thebearing Gr to or near the lower end of said guide, where a suitablestop, :r, is placed.

A spiral groove, h, is out within the rear wall of the sleeve H, itslower end commencing near the lower end of said sleeve, upon the side ofthe cutter-bar, and from thence passing upward and across, as shown inFig; 3, and serving to contain a stud or pin, f, secured within andprojecting radially from the shaft F. As thus arranged, if the shaft beraised .or depressed, the sleeveH will be carried with it until themovement of said sleeve is arrested by the bearin g G or the stop as,when afurther movement of said shaft in the same direction will-causethe pin to slide through its groove, and thereby cause a partialrotation of the shaft and dropper.

In order to permit the shaft and dropper to be readily operated, alever, K, is pivoted at one end upon a vertical post, L, secured to andprojecting upward from the platform A, while its opposite end isprovided with a slot, k, that embraces a pin, 012, secured horizontallywithin a block, M, swiveled upon the end of said shaft.

A second lever, N, is pivoted at one end upon the post I), and,extending rearward and upward, is connected with the lever K by means ofa short bar, a, so that by raising or depressing said lever N acorresponding vertical movement will be imparted to the shaft anddropper without in the least interfering with their horizontalmovements.

As thus constructed, the device is operated as follows: Being swung tothe rear, the dropper and shaft are depressed until the sleeve strikesagainst the stop a" at the bottom of the guide, when the pin f,following the course of the groove h, causes a partial rotation of theshaft, and throws said dropper beneath the slatted platform. It, now,the shaft be raised, the dropper will pass vertically upward between theslats D, so as to lift from them any hayor grain deposited thereon,until the sleeve is arrested by the bearing Gr, when the pin f,following upward through its slot, will rotate the shaft and turn saiddropper to the rear, where, after depositing its load, the latter isready for a second operation.

In order to prevent the dropper from accidentally turnin g rearwarduntil it has attained a sufficient height to clear the platform, a stud,

x, is secured to and projects outward from the inner end of the head 0,and engages with a vertical guide, 2, secured to the frame of thereaper, the length and position of said guide being such as to hold thedropper in position from a point below the platform until the upwardmovement of the sleeve is arrested and said dropper is about to turn tothe rear.

It being necessary that, when the dropper is turned to the rear, itsrear end should be depressed so as to cause its load to slide on, thefollowing-described means are employed for effecting such object: Afalse dropperhead, 0, is secured to the lower end of the shaft F, and isprovided with two short bars or slats, 0, projecting horizontallyoutward in parallel lines, to which the outer slats of the dropper arehinged, as seen in Figs. 2 and 4. One or more springs, P, are secured attheir front ends to the head 0, and from thence extending rearward withtheir opposite ends bearing against the center slats of the dropper,forward of the points at which it is hinged, serve to hold said dropperin a horizontal position, except when purposely tilted. A lug, R,projecting forward from the center of the real dropper-head c, andengaging with a recess, S, formed within the rear face of the frame,completes the device, which is operated as follows: Upon elevating thedropper so as to cause it to swing to the rear, the lug 1t enters therecess S, (placed at just the necessary height to receive said lug.)Upon depressing the shaft, the lug, engaging with the lower end of therecess, holds the front end of the dropper in position until its rearend has been tilted downward to the desired angle to cause its load toslide off, upon which said lug slips out of the recess, and by means ofthe springs said dropper resumes its horizontal position.

It will be seen that by means of the mechanism before described, byimparting vertically-reciprocating movement of the handlever, thedropper is turned beneath the slatted platform upon which the grainfalls, passes upward through said platform, carrying with it said grain,turns rearward, and deposits its load entirely out of the track of thereaper upon its next circuit.

Although, for convenience, the mechanism is shown as attached to a sideor back out machine, it is equally applicable to one having a front cut,and its employment thereon would not require any substantial change inthe mechanism used.

The principal object sought to be accomplished by my invention is thepeculiar vertical and semi-rotary horizontal movement of the dropper, toproduce which the mechanism before described is preferably employed; butwhile claiming said mechanism as novel inits construction andcombination, I do not confine myself to its use, as a variety of otherdevices for accomplishing said result would readily suggest themselvesto any mechanic skilled in this branch of the art.

Having thus fully set forth the nature and merits of my invention, whatI claim as new 1s- 1. In combination with the dropper E, the meansemployed for imparting thereto a vertical and a semi-rotary horizontalmovement, consisting of the shaft F, the sleeve H, provided with theslot h, the stud f, the guide I, provided with the stop as, the levers Kand N, the swiveled block M, and the connect-ion n, substantially asshown and described.

2. In combination with the dropper E, the means employed for tilting thesame downward at its rear end, consisting of the false head 0, providedwith the slats o and springs P, and hinged to or upon said dropper, thelug R, and recess S, substantially as shown and set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this1st day of October, 1870.

' THOS. W. S. KIDI).

\Vitnesses:

WM. RIDGELY, S. N. OULLEM.

